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[Kerosene]

Hello, I’m an ex-Christian, and surprisingly I’m having trouble finding a Christian person who’s thought sufficiently about the subject of the rapture to give me a reasoned answer on what I perceive as a problem..

I’m wondering, if the Rapture is on its way, and is supposed to be preceded by all manner of bad things, what is the motivation to make the world a better place?

Furthermore, is there motivation actually to make the world worse off, as to speed up the process? I’m growing quite worried that belief explains the thought process of my states politicians who seem to actively try to make for more pollution and war..

Thank you all for your thoughts

[jimwalton]

There is disagreement among Christians about the timing of the rapture, but the rapture itself is a biblical doctrine. "Rapture" is just "being caught up" from one sphere of existence to another. The main text is 1 Thes. 4.16-17. When Jesus returns, those who are dead in Christ will be caught up (resurrected), and those who are still alive will then also be caught up with them. "Rapture" is derived from the Latin word rapio, which is found in the Latin Bible in 1 Thes. 4.17 and is translated "caught up." Both the dead and the living will be "caught up." The Greek word is ἁρπαγησόμεθα (harpagesometha), and it means "caught up; a sudden departure; snatched; seized."

> If the Rapture is on its way, and is supposed to be preceded by all manner of bad things, what is the motivation to make the world a better place?

According to the Scriptures, the coming of Christ will certainly be preceded by all manner of bad things (many texts, including Mt. 24; a lot of Revelation). So why try to make the world a better place?

- Love for humans is a gauge of our love for God. We are commanded to feed the hungry, care for the sick, visit the imprisoned, and work for justice and peace no matter what the condition of the world is.
- We are never to stop trying to tell and show people the truth about Jesus. Making the world a better place is a good way to do that.
- Some people might turn to Jesus and become Christians because of our attempts to make the world a better place. This is a desirable effect.

> Furthermore, is there motivation actually to make the world worse off, as to speed up the process?

No, that's never in the teaching. It is never an option for us to deliberately try to make the world a worse place to speed up Jesus's coming. A text like Revelation 6.9-11 would indicate that Jesus's return is on a timetable, and our actions neither delay nor expedite it.

> I’m growing quite worried that belief explains the thought process of my states politicians who seem to actively try to make for more pollution and war..

I think everyone, whether Democrat, Republican, Socialist, or independent, is concerned about our current political environment.